In the retail setting, one challenge is monitoring the temperature data of refrigerated or frozen perishable merchandise. More specifically, when merchandise is being delivered by a delivery vehicle, it is generally desirable to monitor the temperature data of perishable merchandise being transported in the delivery vehicle. It is also generally desirable to continue to monitor the temperature data after delivery and during storage in a shopping facility. As should be evident, any perishable merchandise in an environment that exceeds certain temperature thresholds, such as being too warm, may defrost or deteriorate to a degree that its shelf life is reduced or it needs to be discarded. So, it is desirable to monitor this temperature data.
Further, it is generally desirable to monitor this temperature data during the entire course of transport, rather than just at the end of transport upon delivery. It is possible that the temperature may have exceeded certain temperature thresholds during the course of transport but may be within the desired temperature range at the end of transport. In other words, the temperature may appear acceptable at the end of transport, but it is possible that the temperature was not within an acceptable range at an earlier time prior to the end of transport. Further, it is desirable to continue monitoring temperature to make sure temperature is within the acceptable data after delivery during storage at a shopping facility. Thus, it is desirable to monitor the temperature during the entire course of transport and afterwards in order to establish “cold chain compliance” by the perishable merchandise.
Accordingly, it is desirable to monitor the temperature of perishable items to improve the quality and shelf life of the merchandise sold to customers. Further, it is desirable to develop a low-cost approach for determining cold chain compliance at the end of transport and prior to acceptance of the delivery of the merchandise. It is desirable to develop an approach for determining cold chain compliance at the end of transport that does not necessarily require communication to a computer network, which may increase implementation costs. It is also desirable to develop a similar approach for determining movement of merchandise during transport that may have resulted in damage to the merchandise.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.